Billy Joe Saunders will make his first WBO super-middleweight world title defence against the undefeated Marcelo Esteban Coceres on the undercard of KSI v Logan Paul II on Saturday November 9 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.
Saunders (28-0, 13 KOs) became a two-weight world champion with a shutout points win over Shefat Isufi in Stevenage earlier this year, outclassing his Serbian opponent over 12 rounds to add the WBO 168lbs crown to his collection.
The Hatfield star is on the verge of securing mega fights with the elite fighters of the 160 and 168lbs divisions after signing a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing and knows that a slip up against Coceres, live on Sky Sports, would be disastrous.
The Argentinian (28-0-1, 15 KOs) is undefeated in 29 fights since turning professional in 2012 and the 28-year-old has won numerous titles at super-welter and middleweight, most recently picking up the WBO Latino and WBA Fedebol Middleweight titles.
Saunders said: "I'm really looking forward to fighting in LA and making my professional American debut and my first fight under the Matchroom umbrella on DAZN and Sky Sports.
"Marcelo Esteban Coceres is a tough, world-class operator, an unbeaten fighter and I certainly feel the pressure to outperform him and look good on such a massive platform. Training is going very well, I just have to stay focused and get the job done."
Hearn said: "I can’t wait to see Billy Joe shine stateside and what a huge platform to do it. He is right in the mix for all the big fights in 2020 but he can’t slip up here and if he can make a statement against Coceres then I truly believe he will land a monster in the first half of next year."
